The Association of British Drivers today called for the formation of a national parking regulator amidst revelations that privatised parking companies are running out of control.

The ABD's calls came after a BBC documentary showing parking attendants allegedly taking cash payments to cancel tickets and the London Evening Standard's revelation that one parking company took more than £3.1m in fines on just one street.

"Local authorities have realised that there's easy money to be made from parking", said Mark McArthur-Christie, an ABD Spokesman. "Last year, more than £1Bn was taken in parking fines from British drivers, and it's set to rise year on year. It's simply about revenue generation."

The ABD believes privatised parking companies, many of which are foreign-owned, are practically unregulated and now running out of control. The group wants to see the creation of a national parking regulator, with the powers to control and police private parking companies, set minimum standards and cap the amount they can take in fines.

It has always been a principle that enforcers should not benefit financially from enforcement, but the ABD believes that this is just what is happening on the UK's streets every day, as parking attendants are set targets and allegedly given bonuses for handing out tickets.

McArthur-Christie commented: "It's a myth that parking attendants are there to keep traffic moving, the only thing that's moving is cash from drivers pockets to the coffers of private companies. We need a regulator and we need one soon."